While the TikTok US ban debacle rolls on, it looks like TP-Link is being considered for the same treatment. After a letter signed by two US congressmen called for a ban of TP-Link devices last summer for having “unusual vulnerabilities” linked to Chinese cyberattacks, one of its signees is now voicing continued concerns.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an American attorney and politician serving as a representative for Illinois since 2017, has spoken to CNBC regarding what he perceives as an ongoing threat to national security, with no action taken since concerns were raised to the US Department of Commerce last year.
“I am not aware of any plans to get them out,” he said. “The PRC has every intent to collect this data on Americans and they will, why give them another backdoor?”
TP-Link is thought to have roughly 65% of the market share of US routers for homes and small businesses. Previously, the US government had mandated that telecom equipment manufactured by Huawei, another China-based communications provider, be banned from sale and import in the US over similar national security concerns.
“I am wondering whether something similar needs to be done, at least in regards to national security agencies, Department of Defense, and Intelligence,” said Krishnamoorthi.
“It just doesn’t make sense for the US government to be buying the routers.”
The fresh calls come in the wake of a “worst in nation’s history” telecoms hack, the details of which were revealed late last year. A China-linked hacking group dubbed “Salt Typhoon” was identified by the FBI and CISA as having infiltrated US telecoms networks by manipulating backdoors in existing communication equipment.
The hackers were initially said to have compromised the communications of politicians, campaign advisors, and other high-profile targets through the Verizon network, although it was later revealed that the hack was much more widespread.
Certainly, the US telecoms network now looks like a much leakier ship than initially thought, and the widespread use of TP-Link routers and their alleged vulnerabilities is a scary thought.
However, with the network itself being comprised of huge amounts of ageing equipment from multiple manufacturers, it strikes that a “rip and replace” policy, as was metered out to Huawei’s products, would be extremely difficult to enactāespecially given their share in the US domestic market.
Still, Krishnamoorthi couldn’t be making himself clearer at this point:
“I would not buy a TP-Link router,” he said. “I would not have that in my home.”